The U.S. has benefited from illegal immigrants, most economists say, though some low-skilled workers have been hurt.Posted on 05/01/2006 8:28:35 AM PDT by blueberry12
The U.S. has benefited from illegal immigrants, most economists say, though some low-skilled workers have been hurt.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - In the heated debate over the impact of illegal immigration on the U.S. economy, Andrew Sum is one of those focusing on the negative.
The economist - the director of labor market studies at Northeastern University in Boston - argues that the large supply of immigrants has displaced low-skilled U.S.-born workers, particularly the young and the poor, from jobs.
"About 85.5 of every 100 new workers are new immigrants in this decade," he said. "At no time in the last 60 years have we come close to this. They're really displacing young workers at a very high rate."
But even Sum would concede that the U.S. economy is larger, and growing faster, due to the supply of illegal immigrants, and that most Americans with higher job skills are better off for their presence.
"Without the immigrants, we would have a decline in labor force of 3 to 4 percent," he said. "We couldn't have grown nearly as much as we did in the '90s if we didn't have immigrants. And in the last few years our growth would have been slower. The only thing I've argued is that we've ignored that illegal immigration has put a lot of young adults into economic jeopardy."
Sum's views point out the dichotomy that many economists see when looking at the impact of immigration on the economy.
Few economists will argue with the concept that the economy is stronger for the presence of the low-cost labor force.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
The illegals wouldn't be here if they could not sponge off the free medical care, government welfare programs and free schooling. Add the "motor voter" BS and you have non-citizens voting for Democrats who want more socialist programs to bring more non-citizens in to vote for them. Cut off the birthright citizenship and welfare programs. Purge the voter rolls and require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
They pack the houses and the property owener would pay tax whether or not they were renting to illegals or anyone else.
Illegals take almost 30% more than the imaginary "put into the ieconomy."
You are the one in the dream world -- who do you think shut down the local hospitals (as happened here in my area)? Illegals who didn't pay for services and eventually the government couldn't keep up. So they shut it down.
Every death that happens as a result of that hospital being closed is at the feet of the illegals.
And their supporters.
They are attempting to over throw the rule of law and sovereignty of this nation. That is far more important than what the economy is doing.
"Why don't you stand up against Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security?"
Okay. Let's do that.
From the L.A. Times Newspaper:
Nearly 60 percent of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal aliens.
Less than 2 percent of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29 percent are on welfare.
Over 2/3's of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
The cost of illegal immigration to the American taxpayer (after subtracting taxes paid by illegals) in 1997 was a net $70 billion (from Rice University).
Just to name a few facts.
That says it all.
jw
Poor kids, they don't have a choice as to whether they will be victims or not... they are victims.
And all this --- just because he is bitter that he didn't have the heart to finish college.
Are you saying that we, as a sovereign nation, do not have the right of self-determination in regulating our borders, and have the obligation of accepting any illegal alien from any country that comes here to work? Furthermore, are you saying that Mexicans, by virtue of sharing a border, have greater rights than Chinese, Indians or any another billion or so people that would work even harder than Mexicans?
Funny, I've heard some people say that Monday will be the best day to go shopping at Wal-mart. : )
Isn't it MT (Mierda de Toro)? ;)
"Most people enter the US illegally because the legal process is extemely slow and costly."
Using that logic, we should go hold up banks because
earning a living honestly is extremely slow and costly
Well said OkieDoke. I fail to see how anything "illegal" can be a boon to the U.S. economy. Why stop at illegal workers? Why not include illegal drugs, consumer products, fuel, and politicians as well? This article is nothing but a slap in the face to legal immigrants.
I think this is Justice at work.
Please explain.
Government dictates workers cannot be employed for less than minimum wage plus payroll taxes. If employers get around that by hiring illegals for cash under the table (paying less than minimum wage and zero taxes), how is that "justice" for the low-skilled U.S.-born workers?
And I'm supposed to be sympathetic to someone whose entire business is dependent on clients who break all the rules in the market he operates in?
You might as well be defending the business of the guy that supplies trashy clothes to the local crack whores.
Not only that, prove to me these illegals will still be so hard working once they can't be penalized for being illegal.
I was going to write that but knew that it would surface. : )
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